Not again, Nicaraguan natives say

-Area residents comment on results of recent election in Central American country.

-Area residents comment on results of recent election in Central American country.

November 21, 2006

People had plenty of money to spend, but there was nothing to spend it on because everything, including soap, was rationed. If you outwardly opposed the government, you were imprisoned. Many young men were drafted by the government to oppose U.S.-backed Contras (dissident groups), which led to a bloody war. Those are a few of the memories of three area residents who lived through Daniel Ortega's 1985-1990 presidency. And now that Ortega is back (he was elected Nicaragua's president this month), they are worried. "Yes, I think he's going to be the same one as before," said Edenia Fley, who has family in Nicaragua. "If he wanted to change, he wouldn't be trying to get re-elected. He would have faced justice." Ortega has been accused of various crimes, including human rights violations. "It's scary," said Matilde Juarez, whose brother fled the country after he was imprisoned by Ortega for being a supporter of Nicaragua's previous ruler, Anastasio Somoza. "I don't agree with Daniel Ortega," said Reina Castro, "but what are you going to do about it now? He was the people's choice." The elections on Nov. 5 were free and fair, according to international spectators. The main message of Ortega's presidential campaign was that he's a changed man; that he doesn't wear military fatigues anymore but a white shirt and jeans; that his guide is not Karl Marx but God. "We trusted him 20 years ago," Castro said. "The whole country trusted him. ... They trusted that there would be a positive change." Some good things did come out of Ortega's regime, recalled Castro, 42: Namely plentiful jobs (now lacking) and free education for all. But many of his policies didn't work and he better not get any ideas of ruling the same way again, she said. "Sometimes I think that that will not happen again," Castro said, explaining that at that time the government lacked a national assembly that now limits the president's power. Juarez, 37, partly agrees. "Who knows if it can happen again?" she said, explaining that she thinks Ortega was re-elected because of strong support from young people, who do not remember those times. Fley, 31, whose uncle was once a commander of the Contras, has painful memories of fear and abuse. She recalls a night when Ortega's men came to her grandmother's house looking for his uncle. "I was afraid they would kidnap her," said Fley, who was then 9. Fley also lamented the seizure of property by Ortega's government, some for his own private use and that of his party members. Fley's worries are shared by Washington, too, which already has turned a cold shoulder toward Ortega's new government by threatening to cut aid to Nicaragua. Hopefully, Ortega, 61, will prove that there is such a thing as a born-again politician. Hopefully, too, Washington won't meddle again in Nicaragua's business and start another fight.Staff writer Pablo Ros: pros@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6555 Pablo Ros Voces Latinas Pablo Ros writes a weekly feature for The Tribune.